RAMALLAH, Jan. 27 - As a boycott of the Israeli company Soda Stream gains steam, a new meme of the company's starlet ambassador Scarlett Johansson juxtaposed upon suffering Palestinians is making its way around the internet.

Soda Stream is being targeted by activists because its plant operates in the occupied West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim, which is illegal under international law. The various images of Johansson, published together by Russia Today, show the starlet posing in front of military checkpoints and impoverished Palestinians.

Johansson has defended her decision to become an ambassador for the company, saying that she supports economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine.

Soda Stream says that its plant employs Palestinians on equal terms as Israelis.